Never Enough
by The Crimson Wing
Summary: Sometimes it feels like you should just let go. Until you reach the clutches of the ever encasing light do you realize what it would mean to those who love you, but then it may be too late. [Pairings NarutoxSasuke LeexGaara]


**Authors Note**- GAAAAAAAAH! I didn't get the chance to post a Valentines Fic because, first, my computer ate it. THEN, my computer hated FF…so I got a bit angry and wrote this. Because I can. This is dedicated to Lunamaru and Ryuiki, my best friends in the entire universe…

**Disclaimer**- Not mine, unfortunately.

**Summary-** Sometimes it feels like you should just let go. Until you reach the clutches of the ever encasing light do you realize what it would mean to those who love you, but then it may be too late. Pairings- NarutoxSasuke GaaraxLee

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**Never Enough**

Blood slid down Uchiha Sasuke's dark bangs in thick droplets, gliding down the hair that was plastered to his forehead by heavy rainfall to puddle around his body. Black eyes, glazed and unfocused, locked on the cloudy sky, unflinching against the rain that fled from the heavens.

That was it. His mission was done and he could die in peace.

Gingerly the last Uchiha closed his eyes, a small breath escaping his lips and leaving his chest still. Mentally he still clung to life, recounting what the battlefield must look like. The patch of forest was a barren wasteland by now; burned away by the katon jutsus he and his brother had used. Somewhere to his right lay the traitorous bastard with a chidori hole punched into his chest, Konoha and Suna shinobi that had come to aid him in his battle against Itachi littering the ground in various areas. Nearby he could feel a sharp spike of chakra and the ground started to hum and buzz around him. Naruto was somewhere out there, taking care of his people…

_Naruto_. The thought of the blonde in battle without him brought a sharp hit of panic to Sasuke's chest and he took a watery, gasping breath, black eyes reopening. The wound that ran from collar to navel suddenly didn't hurt so much and he struggled to sit up and take a good look around. Sound came back into focus and he distinctly heard his uke screaming loudly at…

"Gaara, calm down! You'll kill him you dumb bastard!"

He turned to see the blonde Rokudaime, hovering between an unconscious Rock Lee and the red head Kazekage. Little shock waves were pulsating through the earth, radiating from the eerily calm looking Gaara.

Two things registered with Sasuke at the time. One was that it wasn't wise for Naruto to be standing between Gaara and what he wanted. The second was that Lee wasn't moving.

But coherent thought shut down again and he fell back onto the mud, the pain spiraling back down on the Uchiha. His vision was blurred around the edges and sounds were fading away. Worry was replaced by a subtle hum of content.

Naruto could take care of himself. He'd defeated Gaara before; he didn't require his lover's assistance anymore. Yes, really he didn't need to be around, he could just slip away and no one would notice. The two kage's would stop fighting and come over to his body, give him a proper burial…

Distantly Sasuke noted that the ground had stopped shaking. Someone was shouting nearer to him now, but a warm light was pulling him away from the pain and cold. This was dying; it had to be. And that was all right, because he'd avenged his clan and had even had a bit of time to repent for what he'd done to Konoha. Hell, he'd even asked, well actually demanded, Naruto to marry him the day before…

Black tendrils had established themselves on his mind, but the thought of his fiancé brought a light on the mind of Sasuke. If he DIED, Naruto would be all alone. He would be sad, there would be no chance to help him, and the worst part was he might marry someone else! That would be unacceptable.

Viciously Sasuke struggled to wake up, but it felt like lead weights had been tied to his limbs. He had no grasp on how much time had passed, if he'd been moved, if he was fighting the inevitable. Had his heart all ready stopped? Were they going to burn him? Really he had no idea and that was possibly the scariest part.

Would he live? Would he die?

Sasuke scowled. This was ridiculous; he was an UCHIHA, the mightiest clan in all of Konohagakure! He was alive and kicking (the kicking part being metaphorical of course) and damnit, he would NOT die!

His eyes snapped open to find the world spinning like a top, something that made his eyes immediately cringe shut again. Tingling sensation began to return to his body and he noted, with some satisfaction, that he was no longer being rained upon and was rather warm and snug. There was a gentle murmur of people somewhere off to his right, someone was gripping his left hand…

When he was sure he wouldn't pass out, Sasuke gingerly opened his eyes again. Unfocused orbs discovered a white ceiling first, the texture gradually coming into play as the he adjusted to the harsh sunlight glaring in at him through thin cotton curtains. A little moan of discontent escaped his lips, followed up by a scowl that accompanied a slight tilting of his head.

"Naruto," he complained softly. His voice was coarse and painfully quiet from days of misuse, but it nevertheless brought the blonde hokage's eyes snapping open in surprise. "Get that damn light out of my eyes."

"_Sasuke!!!_" Naruto cried, flinging his arms around the bedridden male. A split second later (and with the help of a pained yelp) he remembered that the Uchiha was injured and hurled himself backwards, smashing into a table that rested across the room. Brilliant blue eyes rested on Sasuke from their ground floor residence and overall made the Kyuubi vessel look more adorable.

A possessive, pleased smirk tilted up the corners of Sasuke's lips and as if reading his mind Naruto scowled.

"Smart ass," the blonde grumbled, though he was smiling a little as he said so. Relief and pain were evident in his features and he shook his head as he stood from the sprawled position on the floor. "I'm glad you're all right."

From the bed the avenger made a little 'hmph' noise and would have crossed his arms had doing so not threatened to cause intense pain. He settled back on the bed and studied Naruto's tight expression. The silence was calming, but probably unnerved the blonde a bit.

Another smirk. Good.

Finally, squirming a little with discomfort, Naruto continued. "Really thought you were dead, you dumb ass." Anger started to flush his features, the discomfort fading to a louder and in general much more 'Naruto' emotion. "I told you to _wait for me_ and look what almost happened! You could have died! You're such a reckless showoff, I can't believe you…"

Sasuke tuned out his lover's voice and just watched him rant onwards. Occasionally he picked up key words like 'damn you' and 'thick headed', but he'd heard it all before; could probably recite bits and pieces of it if he really wanted to. Not like he would want to of course, but it was still a thought.

Then there was a slight change in the angry mask. Nothing large, something most people wouldn't notice, but still there. The Uchiha shifted slightly on the bed, managing to sit up just a bit to give Naruto a dead pan stare that gave pause to the angry screaming.

"It scared the hell out of me," Naruto admitted quietly. His blonde brows knitted together. "Between you nearly dying and Gaara losing it because of…of Lee…"

The name fell like a heavy weight and settled on the air. Something, probably intuition, tightened in Sasuke's chest and he waited for Naruto to say something else to alleviate this pressure…or make the blow final. The Hokage never was one to hide a situation, so he would surely spit it out.

"Of Lee…?" Sasuke aided patiently.

Naruto shivered, righted the chair he'd hurled backwards and flopped back down in it. He suddenly seemed much older to the Uchiha, a scary thought all in all as the blonde was normally a bundle of unsurpassable energy, always on the go. He only retained that look when something horrible had happened.

"Lee. He's…" A delicate pause followed this, Naruto's hand hovering in an almost uncertain manner before his face. "Pretty bad off."

"Oh?" The avenger felt the unease gain more weight in his chest, his brows knitting. He and Lee had never been particularly close, but they were still comrades. After he had returned, Lee had been one of the first to greet him with a pleasant smile, albeit slightly hesitantly. They were, if Sasuke had to label it, friends. Not close, but not quite only acquaintances, so he was naturally a bit worried.

"He started off with five gates, that was bad enough. Then a sixth opened…" Naruto chuckled a bit, "You should have seen him, he was really amazing. Nothing could touch him…that is, until he couldn't move anymore."

A flinch passed over the Uchiha's features. Fighting to the point of exhaustion, especially with life gates open, was bad. It left you completely open when you were finished, unable to move because of torn muscles and utter fatigue…

"So, who stabbed him?"

The blonde jumped when he looked up, almost as if he'd forgotten he was telling the story. Grimacing, Naruto shook his head. "When the effect wore off, Lee was bombarded with shinobi. I tried to get to him, but I was busy with another horde. He did okay for about a minute before… It was two kunai, right to the chest."

Dead silence followed this. Both were reliving the moment in their head, Sasuke composing images brought on by his Uke's words, Naruto feeling the horror at being forced to watch his friend fall. It was hard to think about, but inevitable. Two years before they'd lost Kiba, and a year before that Asuma had fallen. It was the fate of a shinobi to fall, only the lucky were still around.

Sasuke sighed, reached out to brush his fingers across Naruto's whiskered cheeks. "I almost gave in." A surprised, angry look was thrown his way, but he pretended not to notice, his gaze distant, "Then I remembered that you might get with someone else. That would be unacceptable."

Naruto sniffled. A mixed expression of anger, melancholy, and joy was present in his expression before he once again forgot about Sasuke's injuries and hurled his arms around the dark haired boy. "Sasuke-teme!" He sobbed. "You're such a…a…"

"Bastard?" Sasuke sighed, "Right, you all ready told me." He shoved away that ungodly sensation of pain and instead buried his face into the mess of blonde before him. "I realized I could die. We all only have a little bit of time before we're wrenched away from each other. This time isn't enough for me, probably will never be enough. May as well use it to the fullest."

Large, watery blue eyes rose to the Uchiha. "That was…touching." Naruto mumbled.

But Sasuke only shook his head. "Forget I said it…"

Knowing Naruto though, since it was unimportant he never would.

* * *

Hours… days… Time slipped by slowly for Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage, but he paid it no mind. People dropped in; people such as Temari and Kankuro and Naruto, but he hardly registered their presence as a blip, too focused upon the dark haired boy in the hospital bed before him.

"Gaara," Kankuro had stopped by, Gaara couldn't remember how long ago, and lain a hand on his shoulder, "Temari says you can't stay here."

The glare that was shot back to the puppet master could have melted steel, but Kankuro did not look commanding in that moment, more understanding then anything, so it dropped. After another amount of time that Gaara didn't remember, and did not care to, the Kazekage was turning back to watch Lee in his slumber.

"I'll take care of things," Kankuro had said into that silent void where there was only time. "Like you did for me when Shika was poisoned." Then he had leaned over and embraced his brother for who knows how long before he turned and left.

But that didn't matter now. All that mattered was that the boy before him open his strange eyes that Gaara would kill for, had killed for. On another level, one that the Kazekage had decided to ignore until those eyes opened again, Gaara trusted his older brother and sister to take care of things while he was away. Another attack would not be staged on Sunagakure for a while he was sure, and if there was…

He would do his duty and return. But for now, he would wait.

More time passed. Gaara had become so transfixed on staring at the rhythmic rising and falling of the chest before him that he didn't register a voice calling his name or a hand on his knee, or the concerned black eyes swimming in his view. What stirred him to reality was the hiss of his sand in the gourd at the side of the chair, agitated at the close proximity of another being.

Teal eyes blinked.

"Gaara-kun?" Lee asked warily.

"Lee." Was the deadpanned response. A relieved smile danced over the Green Beast's features before he settled back on the bed again, suppressing a groan.

"Are you well?" Lee's voice was urgent, reminding Gaara again of just why he had deemed it acceptable to love this being before him. "I am sorry to have brought you here for so long."

The Kazekage inclined his head to both before he spoke himself. "I'm fine, it's you who was the idiot."

Sheepishly smiling, Lee rubbed the back of his neck, gaze lowered. Both recalled very clearly why he had ripped open those six gates, giving a valiant promise to protect the one most precious to him. Even after three years Gaara was still unused to such affections, but he accepted them as being part of who Lee is and anything relating to Lee was, in general, cared for.

"I will not apologize for what I did, Gaara-kun," Lee spoke after a moment, seemingly composed again, "but I do apologize for having worried you."

Teal eyes rolled and the second level of Gaara decided to surface once more, the first satisfied that his lover was alive, awake, and on his way to being well. He stood and leaned over, touching his nose to the other male's, causing a blush to taint the cheeks of Lee. He wasn't sure why the Green Beast blushed, but he was pleased on most levels that it had that effect.

"I'm going to inform the nurses, then send a messenger to Suna to check up."

Lee nodded and there was a moment's pause before his arms snaked out to pull Gaara into an embrace. The smaller being toppled onto the bed and sat, motionless for a moment. It was difficult for him to return affectionate gestures (anything related to sex excluded), but he had begun to try. Hesitantly he rose his arms and returned the embrace.

This always seemed to make Lee happy and Gaara was not disappointed this time. An affectionate kiss was placed upon his cheek before the Kazekage was released.

A faint flush daunted Gaara's cheeks, a thing he still blamed upon a strange illness he was inflicted by around the Green Beast. He stood up and inclined his head a bit, picking up his gourd effortlessly and swinging it onto his back, starting for the door. There he paused.

"Lee?"

The addressed male tilted his head to one side, "Hai Gaara-kun?"

A hesitated moment. For months Gaara had been battling with himself about this, whether or not he knew what emotion was, whether or not he could trust someone to the extent he had with his uncle. But…

"I think," he said slowly, "if I know what it is…"

"Gaara-kun," Lee cut him off with a shake of his head, "don't worry about it. I know."

Silence. Gaara chuckled, a small warm smile curving his lips, one only displayed for Lee. "Don't scare me like that again or I'll kill you."

When the door shut, Lee fell back on his pillows with a happy smile. He would never get enough of the one he loved; but he was grateful to have anything at all.

Outside the hospital window, dangling by his fingers, Kakashi grinned a little bit. Ahh, love. It made him want to go and find Gai or Anko or perhaps pull Itachi out of hiding…or all three at the same time. Hm, what an interesting thought. He dropped from the sill and pulled out his book, with one thing in mind; naturally, sex.

**-Owari-**

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Hehheh, I actually kind of like this one. Some people may be asking 'when does this take place?' … Honestly? I don't know myself, except for the fact that it's after Naruto's become Hokage. Have anything to praise, complain, or poke fun at? Review me! It will make me happy. And maybe, if you're cool enough and ask, I'll write you something .

Big. Fat. MAYBE.

-Crimson

Oh, and another note… I support Uke Gaara! It's because of his horrible tragic past that he needs a bit of control. That's not to say that, on occasion he could be Seme, but I see him as primarily Uke… With an awesome, mostly Seme attitude ;x Rawr!

And the random Kakashi appearance is for Ryuiki.


End file.
